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SEIA is the solar energy industry’s go-to source for the latest coverage on solar power, including U.S. and international policy, research and polls, business and financing trends, and more. Our staff strives to support the media covering solar energy issues and guide our members on effective media outreach with clear statements, background materials, news and multimedia resources.

SEIA is committed to informing policymakers, the media, and the American public about the benefits of solar energy for today’s communities, our economy, and our country.

The royalties and the competitive leasing of federal land worried Arthur Haubenstock, chairman of SEIA’s utility-scale solar power division. He testified that large-scale solar is not mature enough for competitive bidding and payment of royalties, which could lead to a disincentive to innovate instead of the industry growth supporters envision.

The era of Big Solar has arrived, and at the moment there are none bigger than Ivanpah. Now, Ivanpah records another milestone: The first renewable plant to receive POWER’s Plant of the Year Award. Comprising three self-contained units with a total capacity of 392 MW (377 MW net), Ivanpah is a joint effort between BrightSource Energy, NRG Energy (through its subsidiary NRG Renew, formerly NRG Solar), Google, and Bechtel.

San Jose–based SunPower Corp. is building the plant in Los Banos, and will sell power from the facility to Southern California Edison under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The project is due for completion in late 2015.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch released the following statement after learning of the tragic deaths of two First Solar construction supervisors in a plane crash near the Desert Sunlight solar facility in Riverside County, California.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reacting to a new report issued today by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) says its members are well-positioned to assist efforts to modernize the U.S. electric grid and to make it more resilient in the future when pounded by severe weather.

SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch released the following statement after the report’s release:

WASHINGTON, DC and SAN FRANCISCO – As solar energy installations spring up on rooftops and major power plants across the U.S., the average cost of going solar continues to fall, according to a report released today by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Solar industry advocates applauded the report’s results and reflected on the policies that have allowed the industry to continually lower costs while increasingly deployment.

DENVER – Renewable energy advocates, businesses and environmental groups joined together to urge the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to reject a new proposal from Xcel Energy that would discourage rooftop solar growth in its territory.

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As solar energy equipment becomes more affordable than ever, prompting millions of home and business owners to consider generating their own electricity using solar arrays, the overall cost burden of such systems is shifting decidedly toward "soft costs." These include financing, taxes, corporate fees, installation and other nonhardware charges, according to the Energy Department.

Since 2000, more than 1,460 MW of residential solar installations have been installed across the country and in 2012 alone, rooftop solar installations nearly doubled the installed capacity added in 2010. These growth numbers are great, but who’s behind it? Your first thought might be the wealthy Wall Street bankers or celebrities in Hollywood, but you’d be mistaken.

Los Angeles County could create tens of thousands of new jobs and reduce global-warming-causing carbon emissions if solar-voltaic panels are installed on just 5% of available rooftops, says a just-issued report.

Amid polemics over rising electricity prices in Europe and the level of green energy subsidies in various countries, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the growth in clean-energy generation is a huge success story.